Coin receptacle and register



(No Model.)

A. W. GOPPIN. com RBGEPTAOLE AND REGISTER.

No. 542,796. Patented July 16, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR W'ALLACE COFFIN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COIN RECEPTACLE AND REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 542,796, dated July 16,1895. Application filed January 14,1895. Serial No. 534,861- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WALLACE COFFIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improvement in Coin Receptacles andRegisters; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device for receiving, holding, and registeringthe amount of various coins.

It consists in certain details of construction, which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a perspective view showing the dial and indicating-pointer. Fig. 2 isa rear perspective view showing the back broken away to expose theinterior housing and discharge-door. Fig. 3 is a rear view of part ofthe case and the interior mechanism. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thesame with the rear cover and housing removed. Fig. 5 is a verticalsection through the center of my safe.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple mechanism forregistering the amount of various-sized coins which are introduced intoa receptacle within which they are to be collected until a certainamount has to be accumulated, this amount being always indicated by thedial, over the face of which an indicating-pointer is movable, thispointer being actuated whenever a coin is introduced.

A is the outer case, whichIprefer to make of metal, and which may bemade cylindrical or ofany other suitable or desired form. The back ofthe case may be entirely removable or it may have a suitable door B,through which the contents can be extracted from time to time, the backor door being locked and the key in custody of the person or ofiicialwhose duty it is to open the device and removethe accumulations.Theoppositeside of the device has a dial 0 with divisions and figures,which may indicate any subdivision of money which is to be placed in thereceiver. In the present case these subdivisions represent an amountequal to a half-dime or five cents of United States money, and thecircumference of the dial is marked so as to indicate ten dollars, whichmay be introduced either in five-cent pieces, dimes, quarters,

half-dollars, or dollars. Each line or tooth of the dial represents fivecents; two teeth, ten cents; five teeth, twenty-five cents; ten teeth,fifty cents, and twenty teeth, one dollar.

Through the center of the dial passes a short shaft D, the inner end ofwhich is supported and turnable upon a suitably-supported pivot-pin E,while the outer end is supported and turns in the hole through the dial.Upon the outer end of this sleeve is fixed an index hand or pointer F,which is movable over the dial 0, previously described. Surrounding orinterior to the line of figures, as is most convenient, is a circularrack G, the teeth of which are inclined or beveled in the direction inwhich the pointer moves, and are vertical upon the other side, so as toprevent the return of this pointer. By this construction the pointeritself serves as a pawl and greatly reduces the mechanism necessary tooperate the device.

Through the upper side of the case A are two slots H and H, the slot Hbeing intended for the reception of silver coins, from the smallestupward, while the slot H is intended for the reception of nickels.

The mechanism which is actuated by the insertion of the coins is sodisposed that the different diameters of the coins will move themechanism and the index hand or pointer an amount depending upon thediameter of the coin.

The teeth of the ratchet G are so divided that, for instance, a coin thesize of a dime will move the pointer forward two teeth, atwenty-fivecent piece will move it forward five teeth, a fifty-centpiece ten teeth.

As the nickel five-cent piece is of an intermediate diameter it will bemanifest that it cannot be introduced into the same slot which receivesthe silver and properly indicate its amount. Therefore the slot H ismade to extend a little beyond one edge of the silver-receiving slot, sothat its opposite edge stands at a point with relation to thesilver-receiving slot that will cause the nickel to move the interiormechanism one-half the distance that it would be moved by a silver dime.

The actuating mechanism for the indicator consists of arms I and J,fitting loosely upon the sleeve or shaft D, and between these is an armK. These arms are all bolted or oth- ICO ' erwise secured together andall move in unison, as hereinafter described. The arm J is short,extending but a little distance from the sleeve or shaft D, and the armsI and K extend to the inner periphery of the case A. The arm J serves asa bearing and support to steady the arm K in its movements as it turnsabout the central shaft. The arm K is provided with a curved extensionKat its outer end, as shown, this extension following the curvature ofthe interior of the case A, and serves to close the slot when in itsnormal position.

M is an arm fulcrumed at one side of thecase, as shown at N, and havingat its opposite movable end a pin 0, which projects heneath the slots1-1 and H, and in such a position as to form contact with the outer endof the arm K.

P is a spring, one end of which is fixed within the case and the otherconnects with oneof the arms I, J, and K, and as these three arms arefixed so as to move together this spring returns them after they havebeen pushed away from their normal position. In their normal positionthe pin 0 projects in such a manner that when a coin is introduced, asshown in Fig. 3, one edge of the coin will press against the side of theslot or opening in which it is introduced. The other one will pressagainst the pin 0 and thus cause the lever M to. move about itsfulcrumpin, and the pin 0, pressing upon the rear of the arm K, willforce this arm forward a distance depending upon the diameter of thecoin thus introduced. The edge of thearm K over which the pin 0 moves isso. cu'rved that the varying diameters ofthe, coins acting against thepin 0- will press it; forward, and through it will move the arm Kproportionally to the value of the coin which is introduced, althoughthe diameters do not vary in a like proportion.

The arm K,fittcd to turn loosely around the shaft D, as beforedescribed, has upon its inner end a pawl or point B, which is adapted toengage the shaft D, which may be grooved or toothed whenever the arm Kis moved by the introduction of a coin, and thus rotate the shaft andpointer a distance, corresponding to the diameter of the coin, aspreviously described, the curvature of the arm K being such that a dimewill move the arm and shaft so as to advance the pointer F two notchesof the rack G, and a twenty-five-cent piece will advance it five teeth,although this does not represent the proportional diameter of the coins,and so on in the same manner up to one dollar. When the coin has passedwithin the edge of the slot, the action of the spring P returns theparts to their normal position and the coin falls within the receptacle.

It will be manifest that the pawl R, engaging the shaft D, may representalso any wellknown paWl-and-ratchet or clutch mechanism which may beused for this purpose, the object being simply to transmit the movementof the arm K to advance the pointer over the dial, which is, in turn,held by the teeth G, previously described, and to allow the arm K to beretracted by the action of the spring as occupy such a position that nocoin once introduced can. be again extracted through the opening byreason of the extension L; but in order to make thismore secure, I haveshown a housing or interior case S, which incloses the operatingmechanism. here shown, and

has a small door or gate T in the lower part,

which normally remains open, so that as soon as a, coin drops into thatportion of the receptacle containing the levers and mechanism, it willpass through this gate into the other part of the apparatus where thecoins are to be accumulated. This door, swinging loosely upon itshinges, if the apparatus is. turned upon its side or bottom upward inorder to. extract any coin, the door will close automatically andprevent any return of the coins into the-space which is connected withthe slots or openings, thus making an additional safeguard.

The shape of that portion of the arm K against which the pin 0 operatesis such that each coin will always movethe arm a distance dependingupon. the diameter of the coin, and will accurately register the amountof the coin thus introduced, and the curvature of the arm acts as agovernor or regulator of of the movements of the pointer F over thedial.

The device may be supported upon a bracket, stand,or other well-known orsuitable supporting medium W, in any manner that, may seem appropriate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,-

1.. A device for receiving and registering the value of coinsintroduced, consisting of an exterior case, a dial with subdivisions andfigures indicating amounts, a hand or pointer centrally pivoted andmovable over said dial,

interior mechanism by which said pointer isadvanced in one direction bythe introduction of a coin proportionally to its diameter, and a,circular rack concentric with the dial so formed that the pointer willmove freely over it in one direction, and will be prevented fromreturning in the opposite direction.

2. A device for receiving and indicating the amount of coins, consistingof a closed case having a dial, movable pointer, and a holding rackengaged by said pointer,a shaft extending through the dial having thepointer fixed upon its outer end, and the inner end loosely journaled,arms turnable aboutsaid shaft extending therefrom to the inner peripheryof the case, slots made through the top of the case in the plane ofmovement of the arms, and a clutch or ratchet mechanism by which one ofthe arms engages the pointer shaft to advance it in one direction, andthe arms are allowed to return freely in the opposite direction.

o. A device for receiving and indicating the amount of coins introduced,consisting of a closed receptacle having a dial upon one side with anindicating pointer movable over it and a ratchet with which said pointerengages to prevent its return after being advanced, a central shaftprojecting through the dial to the outer end of which the pointer isfixed, the inner end of said shaft being journaled to turn freely, armsloosely turnable upon said shaft extending therefrom to the innerperiphery of a case, slots made through the case approximately in theplane of movement of the arms, and a spring by which the arms arenormally held to partially intercept the slots, an independent armfulcrumed at one side of the case having a pin engaging one of thecentrally pivoted arms, and extending across the slots through which thecoins are introduced whereby the introduction of a coin will force thepin and the arm with which it contacts to move forward a distancecorresponding with the varying diameters of the coins introduced, and aclutch mechanism whereby the movement of the arm is transmitted to thepointer shaft to move the latter forward.

4. A device to receive and indicate the value of coins introducedtherein, consisting of a case having slots through its periphery for theintroduction of the coins, a dial and an index pointer movable over itto register the amounts of the coins, a circular rack concentric withthe dial over which the pointer is adapted to move freely in onedirection, and is prevented from returning in the opposite direction, anarm so connected that its advance will advance the pointer, said armstanding normally in such relation to the slots, that it will beadvanced by the passage of a coin, and having the contact edge curved sothat it will be advanced in proportion to the value of the coins, whosediameters do not vary in proportion to their value.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR WVALLAOE COFFIN. \Vitnesses:

A. A. IIINCHMAN, F. A. DUFFY.

